John Whittaker
COVID-19 hasn’t changed how much money county residents are spending but it has drastically changed where they are spending money.
A recent New York State Association of Counties report analyzes total taxable sales in Chautauqua County for June through August 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
“The release of second quarter (state fiscal year) taxable sales data provides a window into how certain industries rose and fell from pandemic restrictions, including which ones showed signs of recovery in the June through August quarter. Future data releases will inform how the continued reopening of local economies across the state are impacting county revenues and which industries are returning to some level of normal activity. The delivery of more and better therapeutics, and vaccines, will help facilitate this transition, but we could be well into 2021 before that process is completed and people feel comfortable returning to ‘normal’ activities,” the
Tom Precious
The Buffalo News
ALBANY â With a multibillion-dollar budget gap in the stateâs finances, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo Wednesday lashed out at congressional negotiators who are considering a new federal stimulus bailout measure without a provision to send money to deficit-ridden state and local governments across the country.
âItâs madness. Hyper-political. Parochialism. Madness, Cuomo said of one federal funding plan under consideration in Washington.
Indeed, Cuomo â who has been banking on some major federal bailout funding for the state government since shortly after the current budget was OK d last April â was already pivoting away from reliance on major relief anytime soon from the federal government.
PUBLISHED 2:21 PM ET Dec. 16, 2020 PUBLISHED 2:21 PM EST Dec. 16, 2020
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Here are two bad data points for local governments in New York as the pandemic continues to surge and the economy continues to suffer: Sales tax revenue continued its slide and help from Washington won t be coming in a $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus measure about to be agreed upon in Congress.
Local governments are facing their worst financial headwinds since the 2008 recession as revenue continues to dry up amid the pandemic, making budgeting for next year a significant challenge given the uncertainty surrounding support from the federal government.
Sales tax declined statewide by 7.1% in November compared to the same period in 2019, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli s office announced. That s a steeper decline from the October drop of 5.2%, but not nearly as sharp as the drop off in the spring during the first surge of the pandemic in New York.
Report breaks down economic impact of COVID-19 on each NYS county
It s no secret. The economy has been hit hard by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Tuesday, the New York State Association of Counties released a report solidified that fact.
and last updated 2020-12-15 23:48:55-05
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) â It s no secret. The economy has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tuesday, the New York State Association of Counties released a report solidifying that fact.
From March to May, the New York saw a 28% decrease in taxable sales, compared to the stretch in 2019. From June to August, restrictions started to ease, and more money started flowing. During that time, the state saw 9% less taxable sales in a year over year comparison. Some counties even saw growth in that time, including Erie County.
HUDSON â Columbia and Greene counties have seen an increase in their taxable sales activity.
The Twin Counties are among 38 in the state to meet or exceed their taxable sales activity for the months of June, July and August 2020 over their numbers from 2019, according to the latest report from the New York State Association of Counties Coronavirus Economic Impact report series.
âWe did see some significant improvement in that time period,â said Columbia County Treasurer P.J. Keeler. âA lot of it was due to internet shopping and the taxes that were attributable to that. A lot of people were also doing home improvement projects during that time.â